Men's Hockey Loses First Game

In the course of a long season, every team is going to hit a bump in the road. The Hamline men's hockey team hit theirs a little earlier than anticipated. UW-River Falls came out flying from the start and dealt the Pipers an 8-1 defeat at Hunt Arena Friday night. It was the first collegiate loss for HU men's coach Scott Steffen.

Zach Johnson's shorthanded goal at 5:19 of the second period was the only HU marker of the night. It came in the second period with HU already down 3-0. The Falcons, who are now 3-0, responded with two more goals in the next five minutes, bringing goalie Beau Christian's night to an early end. Christian, who stopped 12 shots in the first period, ended the night with 18 saves. Matt Hemingway played the second half of the game between the pipes, recording eight stops and giving up three power play goals in the third period.

The Pipers, now 2-1 overall, go right back to the Badger state Saturday night. They will face UW-Eau Claire (2-1) Saturday night at Hobbs Arena in Eau Claire. Game time is 7:00 p.m.